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Justin Trudeau’s pot gamble throws wild card into federal politics

OTTAWA — Liberal leader Justin Trudeau’s surprise admission that he had a puff of pot after becoming an MP has thrown a wild card into federal politics, but whether it turns out to be more smoke than fire is anybody’s guess.

“The bigger danger for politicians isn’t so much (about whether) you smoke some pot,” said Yaroslav Baran, a long-time Conservative strategist. “Potentially the bigger danger is when you scratch the surface of the issue.”

Pollster Darrell Bricker from Ipsos Reid said people who are already likely to vote Liberal, including urban dwellers, college-educated people and the more affluent Canadians, might see smoking pot as no big deal.

Bricker said that while a strong majority of Canadians — more than 60 per cent — tend to favour looser marijuana laws, Trudeau’s admission could cause some concern among voters he needs to build support for the Liberals.